The Bank Lending Channel of Monetary Transmission: Does It Work in Turkey?

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Summary:Does the bank lending channel of monetary transmission work in Turkey? Using the May- June 2006 financial turbulence as an exogenous shock that prompted a significant tightening of monetary policy, this paper examines the loan supply response of Turkey's banks, depending on their balance sheet characteristics. The empirical results indicate that banks can play a role in Turkey's monetary transmission mechanism. Specifically, bank liquidity is found to have a significant effect on loan supply in Turkey. This suggests that the effect of monetary policy in Turkey can be propagated by the banking sector, depending on its liquidity position.